Paramedics

Shots were fired at Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics early this morning as they entered the courtyard of a large apartment complex in Crenshaw on an emergency call, authorities said. No one was injured and officials have not identified a suspect, said Sgt. Ed Clark with the Los Angeles Police Department's Southwest Division. About 2 a.m., Fire Department paramedics responded to a 911 call from the apartment complex in the 4100 block of Palmwood Drive, Clark said. When the paramedics arrived, someone "fired numerous rounds in their direction," he said.

A Los Angeles woman who called 911 more than 400 times over the last three years has been sentenced to 180 days in jail, three years of probation and mandatory psychological counseling. Linette Young, 43, made the 911 calls starting in 2011, sometimes calling as many as six times a day. And from Jan. 1 to Sept. 13, 2013, she called 911 for paramedics 220 times, according to the Los Angeles city attorney's office. Each time she was helped by paramedics, they found no medical issues. "911 is for emergency calls only, and this conviction is part of our work to ensure that the public's lifeline is not abused," City Atty.

We want to express our enduring gratitude to the City of Huntington Beach and the paramedics who came to our aid recently at the Seacliff Country Club. Linda Moulton and I were married last Sunday in a beautiful wedding ceremony in which her proud and happy father had walked her down the aisle. Linda's father, William G. Baker, who had a history of a poor heart condition, suddenly suffered a major heart attack as he arrived in the parking lot at the wedding reception. Friends and relatives came to his side and the paramedics were called.

Los Angeles fire officials are dramatically changing how rescuers respond to mass shootings after a gunman with a high-powered rifle mortally wounded a federal security officer in a shooting rampage last month at LAX. The new goal is to have Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics and firefighters, protected by armed law enforcement teams, rapidly enter potentially dangerous areas during active shooting incidents to treat victims and get them en...

The spectacular rescue on the morning of Dec. 4, executed by Huntington Beach and Fountain Valley fire departments, again points out the validity of having paramedics assigned to vans as opposed to engines ("Paraplegic Rescued from Fire," Dec. 5). This is the fourth citizen this year saved from a fire in which the rescue was spearheaded by the paramedics. While the spotlight is currently on the paramedics, it must be pointed out that these rescues are not the random act of one individual.

Re "Oversight of paramedics in state haphazard," a Times investigation, May 6. As a volunteer emergency medical technician for 17 years and a commissioner on the L.A. County Emergency Medical Services Commission, I'm trying to understand the problem's severity. The paramedics with whom I've interacted over the years have been professional and supremely dedicated. I would put my life and those I love in their care without a moment's hesitation. Another level of bureaucracy will not save a choking or heart-attack victim any better.

Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics refused to work overtime Wednesday in a job action aimed at bolstering their demands in 2-year-old contract negotiations with the city, but the effect on the public--if any--was not immediately apparent. Fred Hurtado, president of the United Paramedics of Los Angeles, said that volunteers for overtime among paramedics had "virtually ceased to exist" since the job action started.

The Chinese New Year celebration in Alhambra this year will be highlighted by pageantry and paramedics. The city's Fire Department will debut its Paramedic Bicycle Response Team at the annual parade, dispatching two pedaling paramedics who can weave through throngs of party-goers to treat any trouble.

The city's firefighter paramedics are celebrating 22 years of service to residents and businesses during Emergency Medical Services Week. Of the Fire Department's 210 sworn members, 67 are firefighter paramedics. They work from nine of the city's 10 fire stations, which respond to nearly 22,000 calls for emergency medical services each year. This year's Emergency Medical Services Week theme is "Making a Difference for Life."

autoped n.: traffic accident involving a pedestrian C&D abbr.: clean and dress (bandage) a wound. "The car knocked the kid off his bike, but he had a helmet on so we just had to C&D his elbow.' circle the drain v.: victim is in extremely serious condition, near death. "I thought he was circling the drain, but he pulled through." DFO abbr.: done fell out--suddenly lose consciousness. "This guy was walking down the street and, wham, he DFO'd right on the sidewalk. ETOH abbr.

Zachary Bisiar had been airborne for only about 30 minutes when the 16-year-old's lips started turning blue. Zachary and members of his family were traveling from Seattle to Atlanta on a Delta flight on Dec. 7 to visit family when the boy, who suffered from cerebral palsy, suddenly stopped breathing. For family members who were expecting to reunite with Zachary over the holidays, the death came as a shock. "It was very out of the blue," said his uncle Steven Leahy, 40, of Sugar Hill, Ga. "It's really hard.

Los Angeles police officials said Friday they would investigate allegations made in a news report that an LAPD officer delayed medical attention for an airport security employee fatally wounded during the shooting at LAX earlier this month. Police Chief Charlie Beck, however, called the claims in the report “highly speculative,” saying it was too early to draw conclusions about how officers responded to the Nov. 1 shooting. Authorities have accused Paul Ciancia of targeting agents with the Transportation Security Administration when he allegedly opened fire with an assault rifle in Terminal 3 of Los Angeles International Airport.

Paramedics were called to a Watts elementary school Friday after several children became sick, officials said. A shelter-down order was issued for Ritter Elementary School after an estimated 10 to 12 students reported "feeling ill," a Los Angeles Unified School District spokeswoman confirmed to The Times. Authorities told KTLA-TV that the children were believed to have been sickened by an unknown substance. Los Angeles County Fire Supervisor Bernard Peters told the television station the children complained of nausea and upset stomach.

Los Angeles fire paramedics and police had relatively little to do during Sunday's CicLAvia, as authorities reported no major medical emergencies or arrests at the city's seventh car-free event. One cyclist was reportedly struck by a vehicle about 2:15 p.m. along Wilshire Boulevard near Lorraine Boulevard in the city's Mid-Wilshire neighborhood but was adamant that he did not require medical attention, despite an initial complaint of back discomfort, city fire spokesman Brian Humphrey said.

A malfunctioning golf cart, a faulty electrical system or even arson could have led to the fire that triggered the deadly explosion of a fertilizer plant in West, Texas, but federal and state officials said Thursday that their $1-million investigation had yet to find the cause. Fourteen people died in the April 17 blast, including 12 first responders who arrived nine minutes after the fire was reported - and just eight minutes before the explosion shook the town, devastated two schools and shattered a nursing home.

A Texas paramedic arrested last week will plead not guilty to a federal charge of having bomb-making materials and will waive a formal arraignment on a new federal indictment, it was reported Wednesday. Bryce Reed, who was among the emergency crews that responded to a deadly fire and explosion at a fertilizer plant in West, Texas, was scheduled to appear at a detention hearing and arraignment Wednesday afternoon. Reed has not been linked to the April 17 disaster that killed 14 people and injured more than 160. Wednesday's federal proceeding was canceled, Jonathan Sibley, a lawyer for Reed, told reporters in Texas, according to media reports.

Before jumping onto the private company paramedic bandwagon, great caution needs to be observed. The private companies are primarily in the business for profit, not patient care. I have been a firefighter for nearly 24 years. In that time I have worked with many paramedics and have responded on thousands of medical aid incidents. On those many incidents, I have seen that the firefighter/paramedics have tremendous compassion, care and concern for their patients and their communities.

May 11, 2013 | By Molly Hennessy-Fiske and Cindy Carcamo, Los Angeles Times

HOUSTON - A paramedic who responded to the devastating fertilizer plant explosion in West, Texas, last month was arrested Friday after federal investigators said they discovered he had the makings of a pipe bomb. It was not clear whether the arrest was connected to the April 17 explosion, which killed 14 people and injured more than 160 others in the small McLennan County town about 70 miles south of Dallas. The explosion had been investigated as an industrial accident, but officials said Friday they had started a criminal investigation.